On Tuesday February 11th nine club members visited the Pacific Biological Station located on Hammond Road and overlooking Departure Bay in Nanaimo. Dr. Jim Irvine gave a slide presentation on the history of the station, which was first established more than 110 years ago. Several eminent scientists have conducted their research at the facility through the years.
The presentation was followed by a visit to the Histology Lab, where the process whereby a piece of tissue becomes a specimen on a slide for examination under a microscope was explained and demonstrated.
The tour finished with a visit to the Aquarium Services Program in the adjacent Brett Building. Program staff provide daily care and operate wetlabs in support of high-quality animal-based research. Staff stressed that strict control conditions as well as protections against disease introductions are critical to safeguard the health of the animals.
We all agreed that the visit was very informative and that the scientists are certainly proud and passionate about their fields of study.
